WASHINGTON AP — Once the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan’s airfield in Kandahar on Friday, it didn’t take long for photos to appear on social media showing Taliban fighters posing with military helicopters such as U.S.-made Black Hawks and Soviet-made Mi-17s.
After the group took over Mazar-i-Sharif airport this weekend, more photos followed, this time of Taliban members standing next to an A-29 attack plane and MD-530 utility helicopter.
Now, with Afghanistan under Taliban control, the question is no longer whether the organization will gain access to the Afghan air force’s inventory of U.S.-provided planes and helicopters, but what it plans to do with them — and what the U.S. military can do in response.
The Afghan air force operated a total of 211 aircraft, with about 167 planes and helicopters available for use as of June 30, according to a July report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.
So far, the Defense Department has not confirmed how many of those aircraft have been captured by the Taliban, how many of that sum are still operable and how many aircraft have been safely flown by Afghan air force pilots to relative safety in neighboring countries.
During a briefing at the Pentagon on Monday, Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, the Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations, said he had no information about whether the U.S. military would take steps to prevent aircraft or other military equipment from being captured or used by the Taliban.
Piglet says
A whole lot of nothing will take place with these aircraft. They require highly-trained aircrews to fly them and stay proficient, and they require a tremendous amount spare parts and maintenance by highly trained technicians. The Taliban has none of those. Perhaps some will be sold to foreign buyers but most will probably amount to nothing more than derelict equipment on the parking aprons, much like the old Soviet equipment found when the US invaded 20 years ago.
Note: As was mentioned in the article, the Iranians can fly them, also, the Russians have the black market parts, and China can reverse-engineer anything.
Paul Plante says
REUTERS
“Planes, guns, night-vision goggles: The Taliban’s new U.S.-made war chest”
By Idrees Ali, Patricia Zengerle, Jonathan Landay
AUGUST 19, 2021
U.S. officials said the expectation was that most of the weapons would be used by the Taliban themselves, but it was far too early to tell what they planned to do – including possibly sharing the equipment with rival states such as China.
Andrew Small, a Chinese foreign policy expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said the Taliban was likely to grant Beijing access to any U.S. weapons they may now have control over.
One of the U.S. officials said it was not likely China would gain much, because Beijing likely already has access to the weapons and equipment.
end quotes
As to China reverse engineering Blackhawks, they have already done so years ago after we sold them some Blackhawks so they could reverse engineer them:
The Warzone
“Stealthy Variant Of China’s Z-20 Black Hawk Clone Emerges In Concept Model Form – This is our first look at China’s own Stealth Hawk-like transport helicopter concept and they would have a leg-up in developing it thanks to Pakistan.”
BY TYLER ROGOWAY MAY 30, 2021
The aircraft shown appears to be a stealthy adaptation of China’s Z-20 medium-lift helicopter, which itself is something of a clone of the H-60 Black Hawk.
The Z-20’s story is a unique one in itself, as most don’t realize that China was a purchaser of the Black Hawk in the ’80s, during a period of time when the United States was exporting some military capabilities to China.
Regardless, the Z-20, like America’s H-60/S-70, is quickly evolving into the preeminent multi-service, multi-role platform for the PLA.
Harbin Aircraft Industry Group, which makes the Z-20, is also a subsidiary of AVIC.
Piglet says
Reply to Note: The Iranians, Russians and Chinese aren’t necessarily pals with the Taliban and have little or nothing to gain by aiding them.
And in the end, to do exactly what with these helicopters?
Wise people stay out of Afghanistan. The Russians learned their lesson. We might have finally learned ours.
Now we’re going to import large numbers of backward, Sharia-favoring Afghans to our country and we’ll reap the “benefit” of this much like the Europeans have with these and other third worlders. This is going to have a very negative impact for decades to come.
Stuart Bell says
You come on here and take up for the Tali-Ban and China Joe? Bless your heart.
Joe was the Democrats’ easiest pick. He’s a butt-sniffing yes man parasite. He has no shame, so the humiliation anyone else would endure with THE WHOLE WORLD LAUGHING at him is meaningless to a crook with dementia. Democrats are flooding America two ways: the southern border with hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens, and a “no screening” relocation of potential Muslim extremists and terrorists from Afghanistan. I promise you the Taliban is tucked away inside those “families.” Democrats, the ENTIRE PARTY, have declared war on America!
H. Jones GMCS ret says
Let’s Play Pretend, Shall We?
Pretend that the Vaccines work & I’m President
– China Joe
Sorin Varzaru says
“Let’s Play Pretend, Shall We?
Pretend that the Vaccines work & I’m President”
Even your cult leader is vaccinated. The US education system failed you miserably.
Note: Stop calling it a vaccine. From the venerable Wikipedia, ‘A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease’ This thing they are jabbing us with does nothing of the sort. They will find that in some cases, it does the opposite. So far, the only thing that does this is ‘Natural Immunity’. Talk about failing in education!
H. Jones GMCS ret says
Get back to me when you complete Boot Camp.
Note: This is how stupid these people are, BIDEN: “We’re going to protect vaccinated workers from unvaccinated co-workers”. WTF???
Paul Plante says
The s0-called U.S. “education” system fails everybody in this country, Sorin.
That’s why we have so many really stupid people in Congress now, as well as the white house.
Paul Plante says
This crap is a science experiment, Sorin, and you are nothing more than just another unthinking lab rat who believers that BIG PHARM, the makers of the opioid OXYCONTIN, love you more than they love their profits, and you mean so much to them because you are you and you are therefore special, that they are doing this all for you, when in fact you are just another guinea pig, a number, not a name:
Have there been other mRNA vaccines?
These are the first messenger RNA vaccines to be produced and tested in large-scale phase III human trials.
end quotes
And this whole theory of these mRNA vaccines is STUPID.
But that is beyond you.
As to the transmissibility of COVID, let’s go to the expert, the Fabulous Fauci himself, on that subject, to wit:
Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
AUGUST 18, 2021
11:10 A.M. EDT
MR. ZIENTS: Okay, so why don’t we take the last question, Kevin.
MODERATOR: All right, Brenda. (Brenda Goodman at WebMD)
Q Thanks.
I just have a question a little bit to do with the rationale here.
So, do you have any evidence from the U.S. or from other countries that waning immunity is playing a role in transmission of Delta because it’s so highly contagious?
Do you anticipate that boosters will help to slow the spread?
MR. ZIENTS: Dr. Fauci, you want to go first there?
DR. FAUCI: Yeah.
Thank you, Jeff, and thank you for that question.
Transmissibility is a bit more tricky than looking at a clinical phenomenon such as infection, seriousness of disease, and hospitalization.
It is entirely conceivable — and we will be looking at that — that when you boost and have a high level — and as I showed you on the next-to-last slide, the increase with a boost is really quite striking: multiple-fold increase — that it is conceivable that that would be important in lowering the level of virus in the nasopharynx, which could have an impact on transmission.
I certainly hope that’s the case.
If it is, then you could really get multiple benefits from doing this.
You can get benefits for disease, severity of disease, and then, ultimately, infection and transmission.
But the bottom line, with full transparency: We don’t know that right now.
end quotes
Nasopharynx: It is situated in the space between the back of the nose and soft palate.
It is continuous with the nasal cavity and forms the upper part of the respiratory system.
It plays an important role in transferring air from the nose to the larynx.
Sorin Varzaru says
“Get back to me when you complete Boot Camp.
Note: This is how stupid these people are, BIDEN: “We’re going to protect vaccinated workers from unvaccinated co-workers”. WTF???”
Why would I complete boot camp? Because in your opinion and the opinion of other knuckleheads this is somehow important?
And Wayne, I am sorry you can’t seem to comprehend simple facts. A vaccinated person at this point is 5 times less likely to spread the disease and 20 times or so less likely to be hospitalized. Which means the idiots that refuse the vaccine STILL can make me sick. In addition to clogging hospitals preventing other people from getting critical care.
https://apnews.com/article/business-health-public-health-coronavirus-pandemic-idaho-7bdb1aa76f4f98e1c31df3fd9ac338b0
Paul Plante says
IF you have been vaccinated, supposedly, according to theory, you are protected from the disease you have been vaccinated against regardless of the mode or method of transmission.
So somebody who wasn’t vaccinated cannot make you sick any more than licking on a doorknob with the disease you have been vaccinated against on it can make you sick.
If either could make you sick after you have been vaccinated, as you are claiming, then that is proof positive that the vaccine you have been vaccinated with is no ******* good, period!
And if the unvaccinated person is then stupid enough to listen to you, or that horse’s ass Joe Biden, and get the same vaccine, then that person would be no better off than you are.
No offense, Sorin, but boy, are you dumb!
Paul Plante says
Business Insider
“PHOTOS: The Taliban flew a Black Hawk helicopter over a parade of military equipment captured when it overran Afghanistan”
rpickrell@businessinsider.com (Ryan Pickrell)
2 September 2021
The Taliban held a military parade in the southern city of Kandahar on Wednesday, showing off American-made weapons of war captured when the group defeated the Afghan army and overran the country, according to multiple reports.
Taliban fighters flew their white-and-black flag atop US-made Humvees, multi-purpose trucks, and armored vehicles.
Fact Check: Has Joe Biden’s Approval Rating Gone ‘Underwater’ Amid…
‘The Five’ react to Biden’s leaked call with Afghan leader
A helicopter displaying a Taliban flag flies above Taliban supporters gathered to celebrate the US withdrawal of all its troops out of Afghanistan, in Kandahar on September 1, 2021 following the Taliban’s military takeover of the country. JAVED TANVEER/AFP via Getty Images© JAVED TANVEER/AFP via Getty Images A helicopter displaying a Taliban flag flies above Taliban supporters gathered to celebrate the US withdrawal of all its troops out of Afghanistan, in Kandahar on September 1, 2021 following the Taliban’s military takeover of the country. JAVED TANVEER/AFP via Getty Images
Taliban forces paraded captured military equipment in the city of Kandahar on Wednesday.
Photos from the event show Humvees, multi-purpose trucks, and even a Black Hawk helicopter.
The Taliban captured an arsenal of weaponry when it defeated the Afghan army and overran Afghanistan.
See more stories on Insider’s business page.
The Taliban held a military parade in the southern city of Kandahar on Wednesday, showing off American-made weapons of war captured when the group defeated the Afghan army and overran the country, according to multiple reports.
Taliban fighters flew their white-and-black flag atop US-made Humvees, multi-purpose trucks, and armored vehicles.
In addition to the military vehicles, the parade also featured what appear to be captured police vehicles.
The group even had a captured Black Hawk helicopter adorned with its flag fly over the event, CNN reported.
The US military insists that these assets were permanently disabled, and videos that surfaced online suggest this was the case.
“They can look at them, they can walk around,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told CNN.
“But they can’t fly them.”
“They can’t operate them.”
Restating remarks made by Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, head of US Central Command, on Monday, he said that the military made sure all the military ground vehicles and aircraft that were left at the airport were “unusable.”
Jeffrey R Brinkman says
Ha! Chinese experts already have the ability to service, operate and train….and now have formalized relations with the Taliban….nothing to 👀 here….
Stuart Bell says
If they do not China Joe will provide them and all the training they need.
Piglet says
BFD. “Formalized relations” doesn’t mean full support of any Taliban aviation aspirations. And even if the Chinese actually did so, so what?
Recall that in April 1975 the Republic of South Vietnam had, thanks to American taxpayers, one of the most well-equipped military forces on earth and all of it fell into the hands of the North Vietnamese. This included not only all sorts of helicopters but also fixed wing aircraft and just about anything you can imagine.
So then they did what that endangered the US?
Stuart Bell says
You are defending China Joe and this cluster-f_ck ? Using another cluster-f_ck to justify this one? You are a problem.
Piglet says
Where did I, someone who can’t stand Dementia Joe, write anything in his defense?
The only problem here is your woefully inadequate reading and comprehension skills.
This ends now, Stuey. You’re just being an online stalker and you’re not making any sense.
Paul Plante says
Because before we kicked China out of bed, back when we were in bed with China, we supplied the Chinese with Blackhawks so they could learn all about them, starting with the programming necessary to fly them, and so the Chinese could reverse-engineer them, which expertise we provided to the Chinese back when we were in bed with them, before we kicked them out of bed, so that now that the Chinese are in bed with the Taliban, they can transfer that knowledge to the Taliban to make them a more formidable enemy, to wit:
The Warzone
“Stealthy Variant Of China’s Z-20 Black Hawk Clone Emerges In Concept Model Form – This is our first look at China’s own Stealth Hawk-like transport helicopter concept and they would have a leg-up in developing it thanks to Pakistan.”
BY TYLER ROGOWAY MAY 30, 2021
The aircraft shown appears to be a stealthy adaptation of China’s Z-20 medium-lift helicopter, which itself is something of a clone of the H-60 Black Hawk.
The Z-20’s story is a unique one in itself, as most don’t realize that China was a purchaser of the Black Hawk in the ’80s, during a period of time when the United States was exporting some military capabilities to China.
Paul Plante says
This is exactly what happens when a nation reaches as far down into the sludge at the bottom of the political barrel to dredge up a proven incompetent to make him the nation’s leader, to wit:
REUTERS
“Planes, guns, night-vision goggles: The Taliban’s new U.S.-made war chest”
By Idrees Ali, Patricia Zengerle, Jonathan Landay
AUGUST 19, 2021
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – About a month ago, Afghanistan’s ministry of defense posted on social media photographs of seven brand new helicopters arriving in Kabul delivered by the United States.
“They’ll continue to see a steady drumbeat of that kind of support, going forward,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters a few days later at the Pentagon.
In a matter of weeks, however, the Taliban had seized most of the country, as well as any weapons and equipment left behind by fleeing Afghan forces.
Video showed the advancing insurgents inspecting long lines of vehicles and opening crates of new firearms, communications gear and even military drones.
“Everything that hasn’t been destroyed is the Taliban’s now,” one U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters.
Current and former U.S. officials say there is concern those weapons could be used to kill civilians, be seized by other militant groups such as Islamic State to attack U.S.-interests in the region, or even potentially be handed over to adversaries including China and Russia.
President Joe Biden’s administration is so concerned about the weapons that it is considering a number of options to pursue.
The officials said launching airstrikes against the larger equipment, such as helicopters, has not been ruled out, but there is concern that would antagonize the Taliban at a time the United States’ main goal is evacuating people here.
Another official said that while there are no definitive numbers yet, the current intelligence assessment was that the Taliban are believed to control more than 2,000 armored vehicles, including U.S. Humvees, and up to 40 aircraft potentially including UH-60 Black Hawks, scout attack helicopters, and ScanEagle military drones.
“We have already seen Taliban fighters armed with U.S.-made weapons they seized from the Afghan forces.”
“This poses a significant threat to the United States and our allies,” Representative Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, told Reuters in an email.
Between 2002 and 2017, the United States gave the Afghan military an estimated $28 billion in weaponry, including guns, rockets, night-vision goggles and even small drones for intelligence gathering.
But aircraft like the Blackhawk helicopters have been the most visible sign of U.S. military assistance, and were supposed to be the Afghan military’ biggest advantage over the Taliban.
Current and former officials say that while they are concerned about the Taliban having access to the helicopters, the aircraft require frequent maintenance and many are complicated to fly without extensive training.
“Ironically, the fact that our equipment breaks down so often is a life-saver here,” a third official said.
end quotes
How I like that last statement about the fact that our equipment breaks down so often is a life-saver here, and how true it is!
When next we see those Blackhawks, they more than likely will be used for chicken coops or to house goats.
Piglet says
“You come on here and take up for the Tali-Ban and China Joe?”
You need to re-read my comment. I said nothing in support of Dementia Joe and his gang of incompetent criminals.
I am a military retiree with nearly three decades in uniform, enlisted and officer, serving in combat, support and staff positions both in the USA and in foreign lands, to include assignments to flying units.
Backward, uneducated Taliban members can’t simply hop into aircraft and go, and aircraft don’t provide parts for or maintain themselves. The Taliban clearly know what to do with rifles and RPGs but flying aircraft is another matter entirely.
Many years ago people viewing the first Star Wars movie watched Luke Skywalker climb into an X-wing fighter and, without any training or experience, fly excellently in space combat. Flying doesn’t work anything like that in real life.
Paul Plante says
Thanks for your service, Piglet and welcome home, and yes,. the Blackhawk is not your typical beginner’s model to learn to fly.
It is not a Huey!
I have friends who were in a nearby Army aviation unit flying Blackhawks, one a crew chief, the other a highly experienced helicopter pilot who was the maintenance officer for the helicopter unit, and we have spent many hours talking about the intricacies of flying a Blackhawk, which essentially has to be programmed, taking a number of factors about the specific flight to be made into consideration.
I’m not seeing some Taliban jumping into the pilot’s seat and cranking that thing up to go do what?
Haul goats?
The Blackhawks they got a troop carriers.
They are not Apache gunships.
And then there is the maintenance factor, which includes keeping the rotor blades in proper trim, as well as maintaining the leading edges if flying in a dusty environment.
Unless Joe Biden left them a complete maintenance facility with all the necessary part to keep them flying, including spare turbines, which he may well have done.
In any event, they are not a threat to our national security, and if the Taliban manage to crash quite a few of them, it would be good for our national security by whittling down their numbers.
Piglet says
Whoever is foolish enough to invade and occupy Afghanistan next will probably find derelict, neglected Blackhawks right where we left them, just as our guys found derelict Soviet equipment in late 2001.
Here is a clip from a Russian film called “The 9th Company” set in the latter part of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. What the briefing officer says about Islam to the soldiers about to go to Afghanistan is really not exactly about Islam but tribal societies in that part of the world. This film came out after the USA unwisely invaded too but this sort of information was already widely known. Our “glorious leaders” wanted to believe that reality didn’t apply to us. Now we’re getting smacked in the face with reality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MtwVzA8aew
Stuart Bell says
He left them 600,000 rifles…Hard to believe you come on here and defend China Joe. Bless your heart.
Piglet says
You need to sharpen your reading skills, Stu. I said nothing in defense of Dementia Joe.
From what we’ve seen of the Taliban, there’s been no shortage of rifles or any other small arms. Another 600K of them is overkill.
It is common knowledge that our crooked Afghan “allies” were stealing us blind. Unit commanders had “ghost” soldiers on their rosters and would collect their pay. They would often also not pay their real soldiers and would steal their pay too. During the Vietnam War our Vietnamese “allies” did the same thing, plus they would sell weapons and ammunition to the other side. I have no doubt this was taking place in Afghanistan as well.
Paul Plante says
As a former VEET NAM grunt, twice-wounded, I can say with some authority that getting smacked in the face with reality is ALWAYS waiting, right around the corner, and when you nget thefe, you wish you hadn’t of, but, of course, at that instant, that realization iks hindsight and wasted emotional energy, but right now, Joe Biden’s mind is paralyzed.
He lacks the ability to assimilate violence.
And so he is blind to its coming, right now as we speak, because he has to do what he had to do the first time, which is to get those troops back out, which means somebody has to be the rear guard to hold the fort while everybody else is getting extracted, this against a foe that really doesn’t like us being there, which foe is now in possession of a lot of brand-new military equipment courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer and the goofball Joe Biden that they can bring to bear on the rear guard before they can get out.
And Joe has already started priming the nation for that eventuality, that this time, Joe is likely to have to leave some behind for the greater good.
In the meantime, as to who knew what and when they knew it, I am one of those history buffs who likes to stay abreast of current events as they happen on a daily basis, which takes us back in time to when the goofball Joe Biden, now the inept, bumbling, out-of-touch-with-reality, senile president of the United States and God help the troops, commander-in-chief of our military, was Hussein Obama’s vice president as well as his jet-setting, world-traveling foreign policy guru and mentor, along with being an experienced steadying hand for Obama, to an interesting and illuminating look at the foreign policy Joe and Hussein were then pushing in Afghanistnam, in a Reuters article entitled “Senator puts hold on some Afghan aid over Karzai ‘ghost money'” by Patricia Zengerle with editing by Christopher Wilson on 17 June 2013, where we all learned back then, and my goodness, one would think Joe Biden would be remembering these good old days, along with Jen Psaki, who has done quite well for herself financially working in public service, which is the way it should be, afterall, to wit:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Monday he is holding up millions of dollars in U.S. aid to Afghanistan until President Barack Obama’s administration explains the rationale behind more than a decade of cash payments to Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
end quotes
NUDGE, NUDGE, WINK, WINK, people, you know what I am saying – a nod is as good as a wink to a blind man, and here we have a case of it right before our eyes!
Now, people, let’s all go back to seventh grade civics class and ask ourselves what answers we would have come up with back then if presented with the question of “gee whiz, kids, listen to this news, it is said President Barack Obama’s administration has been making cash payments to Afghan President Hamid Karzai.”
“So why does anybody think the Obama administration and Joe Biden were doing that?
Little Billy: Because they don’t accept traveler’s checks in Afghanistan?
Tommy: I think it is because he was afraid Obama and Biden would be giving him bad checks that would bounce when he went to cash them.
Little Suzy: I think they were giving him the money in cash for the simple reason that it was untraceable so Karzai could kick some back to Obama and Biden to help their re-election warchests because in America, public offices go or a good buck and every incoming dime counts.
So why were Hussein Obama and Joe Biden providing Karzai with cash?
Let’s go back to the story to see what it is we can see:
Senator Bob Corker, the senior Republican on the committee, said he put a hold on $75 million intended for electoral programs in Afghanistan after Obama’s administration failed to respond to his letters on May 2, May 14 and June 13 about the payments.
The New York Times reported in April that the CIA delivered tens of millions of dollars in “ghost money” – cash intended to buy influence – to Karzai’s office in suitcases, backpacks and plastic shopping bags.
end quotes
And my goodness, silly, silly me, of course that cash was intended to buy influence, just like it does in Washington, D.C., then and now, which takes us back to the story, to wit:
The money was meant to buy influence for the CIA, but instead fueled corruption and empowered warlords, undermining Washington’s exit strategy from Afghanistan, the newspaper quoted U.S. officials as saying.
end quotes
Said the way it seems to need to be said, back in 2013, Hussein Obama and Joe Biden screwed the pooch, and now that is coming back home to Joe in a pretty spectacular way as what Joe Biden and Hussein Obama set in motion back in 2013 has once again put our troops in harms’ way, which raises that eternal question of who wants to be the one who has to die for Joe Biden’s lies?
Getting back to the history of how Joe Biden and Hussein Obama got us to where we now are in Afghanistnam, with Joe’s evolving debacle, let’s go back to Reuters once more, as follows:
“This hold will remain in place until such time as I receive sufficient information on these matters and sufficient assurances that there is a process in place to ensure our policy towards governance in Afghanistan is coherent and supports our national interests,” Corker said in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah.
Obama administration officials were not immediately available for comment on the matter.
end quotes
And of course they weren’t available!
They were doing then what the goofball Joe Biden is again doing today, which is hiding from the truth, while trying to hide the truth from us.
Stuart Bell says
I an Free, White, and Over 21…I ‘need’ to do as I please.
Piglet says
Then please engage your comprehension skills. Accusing people of supporting the Crook in Chief when they have done nothing of the sort doesn’t say much for you.
There are going to be a lot of times in life when you’ll pass by people who’ll try to warn you about what’s around the corner. You can take it as an insult or an opportunity. The choice is yours.
Stuart Bell says
🙂 Well what is around the corner, pray tell…?
Stuart Bell says
I’m waiting…
Publius Americanus says
Um, it’s not the physical ‘planes’ themselves,people. It’s the FLIR, its the systems, its the armaments, its the software.
Frankly, I’m more concerned about the drones that the traitorous Leftist vermin donated to their “kill Americans” fund(Democrats LOVE dead Americans, prove me wrong) that China can now reverse engineer.
But, when you allow a rodent to steal an election, this is what happens.
But hey, Chas Cornweiler and Sorin Varazu are happier than clams today. America gets taken down several pegs, and those two celebrate!!!!!
Prove me wrong.
Paul Plante says
Reverse engineer?
I believe we are buying that stuff from the Chinese in the first place, who like good businessmen, are loaning us the money to buy it with at interest which makes for a win-win-win both ways around for them, anyway.
Publius Americanus says
Hardware, yes.
Software, no.
Paul, you and I both know the horror that can come out of our enemies having that kind of access to our best.
Nothing good can come from a traitor being in the Oval Office.
Paul Plante says
We sold flyable Blackhawks to the Chinese which would have to imply the software as well as the hardware.
When I was in the Army in 1968, we were training Iranian officers to fly our Hueys and Cobras.
We enlisteds had to salute them.
I figured out back in the VEET NAM times that the only reason the Russians weren’t over here kicking our ***** was because their leadership was as stupid and incompetent as our leadership, and nothing has changed since then.
If anybody wants to take over the United States today, they don’t need to go to war to do it – the country is for sale, so all they need to do is to buy it.
Sorin Varzaru says
How many more American forces should’ve been sacrificed to recover all that equipment? Always fun to see the armchair strategists at work.
Sure, the withdrawal could’ve been done better, but .. traitor? Seriously? There is no talking with the right wing nuts.
H. Jones GMCS ret says
No, all equipment and airbase could have been destroyed by drone strikes after all Americans and Military are safely removed. You have obviously never served. No need to respond, I do not care what you have to say.
Paul Plante says
I’m a twice-wounded veteran of combat up close and personal in VEET NAM.
I’m hardly an “armchair strategist” like Joe Biden.
And that skedaddle of Joe Biden’s out of Afghanistan in record time reminds me of an American song said to be very popular in Romania as well when you were still there, before you came here with a verse that goes like this:
Yeah, they ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn’t go
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn’t catch ’em
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
end quotes
That’s talking about the Brits running like hell in the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812, or James Madison’s War as it is more commonly known, and that is descriptive as well of Joe Biden’s retrograde movement out of Afghanistan, the “GREAT BUG-OUT” of 2021, and compare that with the retrograde movement of the Marines during the Korean War out of the kill-sack around the Chosin Reservoir in the winter with temperatures down to forty below, and they brought out there equipment with them while fighting the Chinese all the way.
And it further reminds me of what is known in this country to real Americans as opposed to the imported variety now in vogue today as our darlings, especially the illegals, as the Bladensburg Races, commemorated in this poem taught to American school children as part of our American heritage, to wit:
“The Bladensburg Races,” 1816
So like an arrow swift he flew,
Shot from an archer’s bow;
So did he fly—so after him
As swift did fly MONROE.
Six gentlemen upon the road
Beheld our GENERAL ride—
MONROE behind—the chapeau gone;
The broadsword by his side.
end quotes
That’s a poem about Jemmy Madison and his entire cabinet running like hell to get out of Washington. D.C. when the Brits were coming to burn down the Capitol and white house during the War of 1812.
That day began with President James Madison confident that the U.S. capital was safe from the threat of British attack and it ended with the public buildings of Washington a smoking ruin after a battle that is sometimes called “the greatest disgrace ever dealt to American arms.”
As to goofy old Joe Biden’s high-speed skedaddle out of Afghanistan, he is trying to convince us that it was the greatest feat ever in just how fast a superior fighting force can run out of a combat zone leaving the weaker force in possession of not only the battlefield, but all the modern weaponry of the superior force which like the Brits ran like rabbit so fast the hounds couldn’t catch them, to wit:
THE WHITE HOUSE
Remarks by President Biden on the End of the War in Afghanistan”
AUGUST 31, 2021
3:28 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Last night in Kabul, the United States ended 20 years of war in Afghanistan — the longest war in American history.
We completed one of the biggest airlifts in history, with more than 120,000 people evacuated to safety.
That number is more than double what most experts thought were possible.
No nation — no nation has ever done anything like it in all of history.
Only the United States had the capacity and the will and the ability to do it, and we did it today.
The extraordinary success of this mission was due to the incredible skill, bravery, and selfless courage of the United States military and our diplomats and intelligence professionals.
end quotes
And goofy old Joe had to run like hell because he made a lot of false assumptions based on total ignorance on his part of pretty much everything, to wit:
Remarks by President Biden on the Drawdown of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan
July 08, 2021
East Room
2:09 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon.
The drawdown is proceeding in a secure and orderly way, prioritizing the safety of our troops as they depart.
We provided our Afghan partners with all the tools — let me emphasize: all the tools, training, and equipment of any modern military.
We provided advanced weaponry.
And we’re going to continue to provide funding and equipment.
And we’ll ensure they have the capacity to maintain their air force.
In our meeting, I also assured Ghani that U.S. support for the people of Afghanistan will endure.
We will continue to provide civilian and humanitarian assistance, including speaking out for the rights of women and girls.
I intend to maintain our diplomatic presedence [presence] in Afghanistan, and we are coordinating closely with our international partners in order to continue to secure the international airport.
I’ve asked Secretary of State Blinken and our Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation to work vigorously with the parties in Afghanistan, as well as the regional and international stakeholders to support a negotiated solution.
Q Is a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan now inevitable?
THE PRESIDENT: No, it is not.
Q Why?
THE PRESIDENT: Because you — the Afghan troops have 300,000 well-equipped — as well-equipped as any army in the world — and an air force against something like 75,000 Taliban.
It is not inevitable.
Q Mr. President, will you amplify that question, please?
Will you amplify your answer, please — why you don’t trust the Taliban?
THE PRESIDENT: It’s a — it’s a silly question.
Do I trust the Taliban?
No.
But I trust the capacity of the Afghan military, who is better trained, better equipped, and more re- — more competent in terms of conducting war.
Q Mr. President, thank you very much.
Your own intelligence community has assessed that the Afghan government will likely collapse.
THE PRESIDENT: That is not true.
Q Is it — can you please clarify what they have told you about whether that will happen or not?
THE PRESIDENT: That is not true.
They did not — they didn’t — did not reach that conclusion.
Q Mr. President, how serious was the corruption among the Afghanistan government to this mission failing there?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, the mission hasn’t failed, yet.
But the likelihood there’s going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.
Q Mr. — Mr. President, I — thank you.
I wanted to ask: With the benefit of hindsight, you’ve spoken to the fact that the Taliban are sort of at their militarily strongest point that you’ve seen in 20 years.
How do you feel personally about that, with the benefit of hindsight and all of the dollars and investments and American troops that were sent there?
THE PRESIDENT: Relative to the training and capacity of the ANSF and the training of the federal police, they’re not even close in terms of their capacity.
Paul Plante says
And Sorin, with your own comment that the withdrawal could’ve been done better, aren’t you yourself playing the role of an armchair strategist?
Paul Plante says
What happens if you lose equipment in the Army?
When Army property is lost or damaged, financial responsibility can fall upon the Soldier or Civilian to whom the property was issued.
However, in certain cases, such as the loss of personal arms or equipment, or damage to government housing, a Soldier can be held liable for the entire loss.
What happens when a US soldier loses his weapon?
The military will literally shut down an installation to find an errant weapon.
The very smallest punishment for misplacing a weapon, if it’s found within a reasonable amount of time, is a “Company Grade Article 15.”
That means you can lose one grade of rank, a week of pay, and two weeks of extra duty.
How much can the Army charge you for lost equipment?
The Soldier will be held liable for the full amount of all TA-50 lost or damaged minus 10 percent of the value of the property.
The 10-percent reduction accounts for the fact that a Soldier’s TA-50 is not brand new.
Paul Plante says
By the way, Sorin, a point for you to consider here, because as a foreigner, you don’t know these things.
ALL of that equipment Joe Biden lost is TAXPAYER owned!
Joe Biden doesn’t own that military hardware, and it was not his to lose!
That should be an impeachable offense and Joe should be made to reimburse the taxpayers for every penny of it, less ten percent, of course:
Can the army make you sign for equipment?
Yes – AR 735-5 and AR 710-2.
AR 735-5 shows the property accountability/responsibility “food chain”, and AR 710-2 directs commanders to sub hand receipt equipment down to the user level.
What is the purpose of a change of command inventory?
Purpose: To provide technical and logistics guidance in support of change of command inventories between both Incoming and Outgoing commanders.
This inventory is required upon Change of Primary Hand Receipt Holder in support of Change of Command actions.
How do you prepare a change in command inventory?
Conduct joint changes of command inventory in accordance with published inventory schedule.
Adjust hand/sub-hand receipts as they are inventoried against the property book and component lists.
Have the hand receipt holders sign and date their hand/sub-hand receipts.
[Incoming and Outgoing Commanders].
Stuart Bell says
Hear! Hear!!
James Pruitt says
Chas Cornweiler and Sorin Varazu….a couple of liberal sissies.
Piglet says
Stu: Life’s too busy for minor annoyances. I’m simply ignoring you.
Stuart Bell says
No, you replied. Bless you heart.
You are not real bright are you? A real mental midget. If your brain was put on the edge of a razor blade it would look like a bowling ball rolling down Rt. 13.
Stuart Bell says
Piglet says
SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 AT 5:11 PM
Where did I, someone who can’t stand Dementia Joe, write anything in his defense?
The only problem here is your woefully inadequate reading and comprehension skills.
This ends now, Stuey. You’re just being an online stalker and you’re not making any sense.
We enjoy messing with you. This is the best free entertainment around. The knee-jerk reactions to stimulation are priceless. People respond to the stimulation like well fed, lab rats. Now a piglet thinks it is being stalked. You can’t make this foolishness up.
Thanks!
Piglet says
To that I say, “Oink.”
Stuart Bell says
There is no way that loser won the 2020 election.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/09/07/angry-new-jersey-residents-shout-at-joe-biden-as-he-views-flood-damage/#disqus_thread
Piglet says
At last, common ground.
I agree.
Paul Plante says
FORBES
“Staggering Costs – U.S. Military Equipment Left Behind In Afghanistan”
Adam Andrzejewski, Senior Contributor
Aug 23, 2021
The U.S. provided an estimated $83 billion worth of training and equipment to Afghan security forces since 2001.
This year, alone, the U.S. military aid to Afghan forces was $3 billion.
Putting price tags on American military equipment still in Afghanistan isn’t an easy task.
In the fog of war – or withdrawal – Afghanistan has always been a black box with little sunshine.
Not helping transparency, the Biden Administration is now hiding key audits on Afghan military equipment.
This week, our auditors at OpenTheBooks.com reposted two key reports on the U.S. war chest of military gear in Afghanistan that had disappeared from federal websites.
U.S. taxpayers paid for these audits and the U.S.-provided equipment and should be able to follow the money.
After publication, the GAO spokesman responded to our request for comment, “the State Department requested we temporarily remove and review reports on Afghanistan to protect recipients of US assistance that may be identified through our reports and thus subject to retribution.”
However, these reports only have numbers and no recipient information.
In 2017, the U.S. military lost $174 million in drones that were part of the attempt to help the Afghan National Army (ANA) defend itself.
But the ANA didn’t immediately use the drones and then lost track of them.
This week, the SIGAR audit on the $174 million drone loss disappeared from its website.
From 2017 to 2019, the U.S. also gave Afghan forces 7,035 machine guns, 4,702 Humvees, 20,040 hand grenades, 2,520 bombs and 1,394 grenade launchers, according to the since removed 2020 SIGAR report, reported by The Hill.
An unnamed official told Reuters that current intelligence assessment was that the Taliban took control of more than 2,000 armored vehicles, including American Humvees, and as many as 40 aircraft that may include UH-60 Black Hawks, scout attack helicopters and ScanEagle military drones.
“We don’t have a complete picture, obviously, of where every article of defense materials has gone, but certainly a fair amount of it has fallen into the hands of the Taliban,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday, The Hill reported.
“And obviously, we don’t have a sense that they are going to readily hand it over to us at the airport.”
Republican Senators have demanded that there be a full count of U.S. military equipment left in Afghanistan.
In a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the lawmakers said they were “horrified” to see photos of Taliban militants taking hold of military equipment, including Black Hawk helicopters.
“It is unconscionable that high-tech military equipment paid for by U.S. taxpayers has fallen into the hands of the Taliban and their terrorist allies,” the lawmakers said in the letter.
“Securing U.S. assets should have been among the top priorities for the U.S. Department of Defense prior to announcing the withdrawal from Afghanistan.”